President Donald Trump on Monday slammed Illinois and Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker amid stories that planning is underway on the Pentagon for the potential use of Nationwide Guard forces in Chicago.
“When I’ve some slob like Pritzker criticizing us earlier than we even go there — I made the assertion that subsequent must be Chicago as a result of, as you all know, Chicago is a killing discipline proper now and so they do not acknowledge it,” Trump stated within the Oval Workplace on Monday.
“Lots of people are saying: ‘Possibly we like a dictator.’ I don’t like a dictator. I’m not a dictator. I’m a person with nice frequent sense and a wise particular person,” Trump added.
Trump went forwards and backwards over whether or not the federal government ought to ship Nationwide Guard troops to different cities or wait to be requested.
President Donald Trump speaks as he indicators government orders within the Oval Workplace of the White Home, Aug. 25, 2025, in Washington.
Evan Vucci/AP
“We could wait. We could or could not. We may go in and do it, which might be what we should always do,” Trump stated. “The issue is, it is not good whenever you go in and do it and anyone else is standing there saying, as we give nice outcomes, say, ‘Effectively, we do not need the army.'”